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Message: <blockquote data-quote="delericho" data-source="post: 8536594" data-attributes="member: 22424">In my campaign...I've decided to no longer use drow in any of my homebrew settings. I've concluded that I really don't like their depiction, and don't really think they're redeemable - there's too much history there for me to fight against what players are likely to bring to the table. So they're out. (I'm also using drow as my litmus test for how serious WotC really is about this stuff - because they're such a valuable part of the IP, but also because of their problematic nature, they're a good guide.)When using a published setting, they'll follow the depiction for that setting. So in the unlikely event I use Greyhawk, they'll be always-evil worshippers of Lolth; in the Realms they're universally emo rebels against their evil heritage; in Eberron they're ex-slaves of the giant empire from days of yore. (Those are all simplifications, of course.)Orcs represent that part of all of us that would dearly like to reject civilisation and all the obligations that go with it. So they tend to exist in small groups on the fringes of human society who have constantly-shifting organisations. There are plenty of orcish kingdoms, but almost none that last more than a generation.The upshot of all of that is that orcs are often evil and extremely likely to be chaotic. Exceptions may not be common, but they certainly exist.Incidentally, it was asked, but IMC half-orcs are sometimes spontaneously born to human or orcish parents in lands where the two races border one another - a half-orc may have mixed parentage, but is more likely to have two human or two orcish parents. (In human lands they tend to do well due to their greater strength and hardiness; in orcish lands they tend to do well because they don't feel the same compulsion to rebel against everything.)In all cases, this applies to NPCs only - players can basically do what they like with their characters. (Even if that directly contradicts the established lore of the setting. If I ever write the official history of the setting I'll quietly edit their character to suit, but realistically it's never going to happen.)</blockquote>

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